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A fillet is a strip of flesh of a fish which has been sliced from bones.
To make fillets;
- Hang the fresh fish on a hook with the neck up.
- Bleed the fish dry by making a sharp small incision at the back of its neck.
- Wash the fish thoroughly with clean running water and then descale it.
- Gut the fish to remove all the intestines and other internal organs. Then wash the fish in running water and remove all the blood.
- Place the fish on a clean chopping board. Using a sharp knife, make four slits below the neck just above the tail and on either sides of the abdomen.
- While holding the fish skin by the slit above the tail, peel off the skin towards the neck. Then using a sharp knife, slice the flesh off the fish and be careful not to include the bones in the fillet.
- Now you have a skinless fillet ready for packing.
Fish fingers are breaded strips of fish
- Make fillets and then chop them lengthwise to produce long strips.
- Beat an egg thoroughly; add a pinch of salt, bread crumbs and a powdered spice. Dip each of the strips in this mixture.
- Deep fry in hot cooking oil for 10 minutes, with moderate heat until they are brown and serve. This is ground fish mixed with spices rolled into small balls.
- Make fillets and chop them into small cubes.
- Mince the fish cubes in a manual or electric mincer and add spices, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and wheat to the minced fish and mix thoroughly.
- Roll the mixture into small balls and fry in hot oil for 20 minutes on moderate heat. Once brown, the balls are ready to be served.
Smoked, spiced fish
- Bleed the fish by letting the blood to drain out of the fish.
- Gut the fish and remove the abdominal organs then cut the fish in a single longitudinal slit along the anal opening (for catfish)
- Wash the fish thoroughly in clean running water then soak the fish in water containing salt, garlic and parsley for 30 minutes.
- Drain the fish on a rack for 15 minutes and then place it on a greased rack and cover the fish with a metallic plate on the smoking kiln.
- Smoke the fish on the smoking kiln with firewood using moderate heat for 12 hours. When it turns golden brown, it is ready to be served.
